Skimmia japonica Kew White

Skimmia japonica 'Kew White' is a female Japanese Skimmia with a lovely compact, rounded and bushy habit. Its dark green, glossy evergreen foliage serves as a backdrop to a very elegant spring flowering, with fragrant white panicles, followed by cream-white berries in autumn. Skimmia japonica can be easily grown in shade or partial shade, in a preferably humus-rich, moist, lime-free soil, just like rhododendrons and camellias with which it forms beautiful associations in the ground or in pots. 

Belonging to the Rutaceae family like citrus trees, Skimmia japonica is originally an Asian plant found in Southeast Asia. 'Kew White' is a horticultural variety with a bushy habit, nicely rounded and compact, almost as wide as it is tall, and its growth is quite slow. At maturity, the bush will reach about 1m (3 in 4ft) in all directions. Floral buds form in autumn on the branches, they are greenish-white in colour and persist throughout winter. The flowering period in April-May consists of 3 to 8cm (1.2 - 3.1in) long panicles. They are made up of numerous small white star-shaped flowers, measuring a few millimetres. Their fragrance, reminiscent of vanilla, can be detected several metres away. The evergreen foliage is composed of leathery ovate leaves, 5 to 10cm (2 - 3.9in) long, tapering to a point. They are arranged alternately on the branches. Their colour is a glossy dark green. The dense foliage is slightly aromatic when crushed and not edible. This bush is also very hardy, down to a minimum of -15°C. If pollinated by a nearby male cultivar (such as 'Rubella' for example), this female bush will produce numerous small cream-white fruits in October, persisting until March. Please note, these berries are toxic to humans.

In a cool and humid climate, the Japanese Skimmia thrives in the understory, along a north-facing facade, in a shrub bed, or in a shaded hedge. It does not tolerate lime-rich and/or dry soils, and it dislikes heat, but it can withstand fairly difficult planting conditions, under bamboo or large trees for example. It thrives in shade or partial shade, alongside Camellias, Rhododendrons, Heathers, and Hydrangeas. Plant Cyclamen, Bergenia, and Eranthis at its base. 'Kew White' is particularly suitable for cultivation in pots or containers to adorn shaded terraces and balconies.